By James Marsh
It seems like there’s a Laurel Creek everywhere there are trout streams in the Eastern United States. About two miles East of Damascus is an old railroad bed called the Virginia Creeper Trail. It doesn’t have any of the rails or cross ties remaining. It’s now a very nice hiking/biking trail that follows Whitetop Laurel Creek for about two miles upstream. It provides access to some very good fly fishing water.
There’s a Laurel Creek close to Whitetop Laurel Creek that I will mention just to avoid any confusion. It runs across the Tennessee and the Virginia state lines, into Whitetop Laurel and then through the little town of Damascus, Virginia.
Route #58, east of Damascus, parallels much of the Whitetop Laurel Creek for a long way. When the road leaves the creek you can use the Virginia Creeper Trail. The area along the road is stocked with trout by the state. Catching trout is no problem there. It’s a beautiful, medium size stream with the typical run, riffle, pool type water that flows down the mountain. It’s fairly easy to fish from the banks or by wading in most areas, although some of the pools get rather deep.
The best part of Whitetop Laurel Creek is the special regulation waters in Taylor’s Valley. Getting there takes a few turns out of Damascus. After heading East out of Damascus, turn right and you will soon cross the state line into Tennessee. Not far, maybe a mile, you will turn left on 725. You will go back into Virginia and come to the intersection of 725 and 726 where you will again see Whitetop Laurel Creek. Just upstream (and downstream) from that point are special regulation waters, single hook artificial only, and lots of wild trout.
Whitetop Laurel is one of the better freestone stream in the State of Virginia. It offers easy to access areas with stocked trout as well as lots wild trout in secluded areas you can access with a little effort. This has the effect of keeping those desiring to catch the stocked trout in easy to access sections of the creek and leaves most of the wild trout for those who are interested only in the sport of catching and releasing trout.
Whitetop Laurel Fly Fishing Guide:
Fly fishing Whitetop Laurel Creek is a pure pleasure. It’s book perfect, small stream fly fishing. The wild trout are aggressive and require some skill to catch, but the rewards are great.
A road doesn’t follows the Taylor’s Fork Sections. You will have to hike up or down the stream. By the way, the fishing is also good downstream at the end of the #725 paved road. It flows off the mountain down to the Virginia Creeper area.
Some of the best fishing in both the stocked and the wild trout areas is during the surfer hatch which seems to last a long time. For one reason they have both the true sulfurs and the Eastern Pale Evening duns, both called sulfurs by the locals. You will see the trout go nuts over the spinner falls late in the afternoons.
The lower special regulation area runs from the lower gate in Taylor’s Valley downstream to Straight Branch, a small tributary stream. The upper special regulation area runs from the first trestle located above the upper gate in Taylor’s Valley upstream to Green Cove Creek.
You want to fish Whitetop Laurel Creek in an upstream direction using a lot of short upstream and up and across cast. The pocket water areas have a lot of conflicting currents and the more fly line you can keep out of the water, the better off you are. If trout are rising, fish a dry fly but if you don’t see any insects or trout rising you are probably better off fishing a nymph. The high stickin’ method of nymphing works great in this stream.
This is a neat stream to fish. The little town of Damascus in also a neat place to stay. Laurel Creek flows right through town and the people are all laid back type folks that cater to hikers and anglers. There are several neat places to stay and eat in the area.
Whitetop Laurel Creek Hatches and Trout Flies:
Our information on aquatic insects is based on our stream samples of larvae and nymphs, not guess work. We base fly suggestions on imitating the most plentiful and most available insects and other foods at the particular time you are fishing. Unlike the generic fly shop trout flies, we have specific imitations of all the insects in the White River and in all stages of life that is applicable to fishing. If you want to fish better, more realistic trout flies, have a much higher degree of success, give us a call. We not only will help you with selections, you will learn why, after trying Perfect Flies, 92% of the thousands of our customers will use nothing else. 1-800-594-4726.
Whitetop Laurel has a huge, very diverse population of aquatic insects that hatch throughout most of the year. The pH of the water is good and there are several mayflies and caddisflies that reside in the creek that you wouldn’t expect to find in most Eastern Appalachian mountain freestone streams. The most consistent hatch is the usual Blue-winged Olives. There are several species that hatch months of the year. The best hatches start in February and last through June. There is a second hatch that occurs in October and early November.
Little Black Winter Stoneflies start the first hatches of the year in late January. These can hatch into March. Little Brown Stoneflies (actually in the same family as the Little Blacks) hatch in March and until the middle of April. There are a few Grannon Caddisflies that hatch in March. The hatch lasts about a month from the lower to the higher elevations.
The Giant Black Stoneflies start hatching the third week of April. It can last for six weeks. The Yellow Sallies start a couple of weeks later and hatch into the first of July.
The Golden Stoneflies start about the last week of May and can hatch until the last week of June.
One of the first mayflies to start hatching are the Blue Quills. They start about the first of March and can last until the middle of April. Quill Gordons start about the same time and last about a month. This is one of the better hatches of Whitetop Laurel.
The Hendricksons start hatching about the first of April. The hatch last about a month but is usually not very heavy, but enough to get the trout’s attention. American March Browns start hatching near the end of April and last almost two months. This hatch is never concentrated but well worth imitating.
Eastern Pale Evening Duns start hatching around the first of May and last through June. About two weeks after this hatch starts, the sulphurs start hatching and last almost two months. Locals refer to both of these hatches as sulphurs and they are very similar.
The Cinnamon Sedges and a few Spotted Sedge species of caddisflies hatch from about the first of May through July. These are the most important caddisflies. They are plentiful in some areas of the creek.
Whitetop Laurel Creek has a decent hatch of Eastern Green Drakes that starts about the first of May and last around three weeks. There are also plenty of Light Cahills that hatch in late May and June. You will find them in the faster water. Green Sedges are fairly plentiful in the creek. They normally hatch from about the first of May through June. There are also some Little Short-horn Sedges that hatch near the same time.
Slate Drakes start hatching in late June and continue on through September. These large mayflies are very important to imitate. Mahogany Duns start hatching in late August and last for about two months. The Great Autumn Brown Sedges start hatching in October and can last until December.
Summertime is terrestrial time and imitations of grasshopper, ants and beetles. Inch worms also are plentiful and fall and get blown into the water. The terrestrial become important about the middle of June through September.
Midges hatch throughout the entire year but are most important during the winter. Streamers are effective in the creek, especially when the water is slightly high and stained. Imitations of sculpin, small minnows and small crawfish will work great at times.
We always recommend “Perfect Flies”. They are not only the most realistic imitations you can purchase, they are the most effective flies you can buy. They have proven to work great on Whitetop Laurel Creek on many occasions. We hope you give them a try if you haven’t already done so.